Editor’s Note: After a hiatus, the monthly Justice in Motion column, written by Sarah Glorian and Derek Peterson from the Northwest Justice Project office in Aberdeen is back in The Daily World. It starts off with a three-part examination of homelessness that runs today, Thursday and Saturday.

By Derek Peterson

Northwest Justice Project

As an Aberdeen native and lawyer for low-income people, I have long aspired to, but struggled to, understand the epidemic of homelessness gripping Aberdeen and other cities across America. Matters surrounding homelessness are complex and controversial and, in my experience, whenever these matters are discussed, folks are often left feeling more confused and more polarized.

I would like to offer some of the major lessons I have learned in my work that have been instrumental in helping me make sense of homelessness. In sharing this information, my goals are twofold: (1) to help the community better understand the scope and dimensions of homelessness; and (2) to engage the community in a deeper conversation about how we can come together to meaningfully support people experiencing homelessness.

Of course, achieving these goals requires more space than a single column permits. As such, this column will be published as a three-part series. This column, Part I, begins with a brief overview of homelessness and the historical context in which it has emerged. Part II includes an exploration of the demographics of the homeless population. Finally, Part III ends with a discussion on what is being done to address homelessness in Grays Harbor and how you can help.

To open this discussion, it is helpful to take stock of the problem by examining some of the data we have available on homelessness. According to the 2018 annual point-in-time homeless count, 174 individuals in Grays Harbor were “literally homeless,” i.e., sleeping on the streets or in shelters. However, these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, as they do not account for individuals staying in temporary accommodations or individuals who are at risk of homelessness. Indeed, the Grays Harbor County Public Health and Social Services Department estimates as many as 3,000 individuals on Grays Harbor are not stably housed at any given time. But homelessness is not a problem unique to Grays Harbor, of course. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports around 553,000 people in America experienced homelessness on any given night in 2018.

To some, these numbers invite the question, “why are so many people homeless?” Fortunately, homelessness in the United States has been well-documented by a wide variety of studies and research projects. According to the literature, large-scale homelessness first emerged during the 1930s after the U.S. economy plummeted into the Great Depression. At the time, the homelessness crisis was exemplified through the creation of widespread homeless encampments facetiously termed “Hoovervilles” for president Herbert Hoover. In response to the homelessness crisis and other pressing needs, President Franklin Roosevelt implemented his “New Deal” programs, which provided a safety net that kept homelessness low for nearly 40 years.

Sadly, mass homelessness re-emerged in the late 1970s and is again front and center in our communities. The reasons for the rise of modern homelessness are myriad, but the accumulated literature emphasizes several factors including: (1) the massive cuts to federal housing programs from 1978 to 1983 which, to this day, have never been restored; (2) the deinstitutionalization of people suffering from mental illness; (3) the ever-widening income gap that is pushing more people into poverty; (4) the proliferation of highly addictive and cheap street drugs; (5) the lack of support provided to individuals to keep them from falling into homelessness as they exit institutions like jail, prison, foster care and the military; and (6) the high cost of housing, especially in urban areas, where low-income individuals cannot afford to pay their rent.

Although reviewing the history and causes of homelessness can make addressing the problem seem insurmountable, it nevertheless provides us with reason for optimism. As the history reflects, homelessness has been addressed successfully in the past, and it can be addressed successfully again. But in order to do that, it is important to understand who experiences homelessness and the various forms of homelessness. Please stay tuned and read on for Part II of this discussion.

Derek Peterson is an attorney at the Aberdeen office of the Northwest Justice Project. To find out if you are eligible for Northwest Justice Project services:

For cases including youth (Individualized Education Program and school discipline issues), debt collection cases and tenant evictions, please call for a local intake appointment at (360) 533-2282 or toll free (866) 402-5293. No walk-ins, please.

For all other legal issues, please call our toll-free intake and referral hotline commonly known as “CLEAR” (Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral) at 1-888-201-1014, Mondays through Fridays 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. If you are a senior, 60 and over, please call 1-888-387-7111; you may be eligible regardless of income. Language interpreters are available. You can complete an application for services at nwjustice.org/get-legal-help. Be sure to check out our law library at: www.washingtonlawhelp.org.